Arterial and veinous clamp and clamp applicator



y 1962 J. o. BEATY 3,032,039

ARTERIAL AND VEINOUS CLAMP AND CLAMP APPLICATOR Filed May 26, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Iawenior Jae 0. Beats a fi z 29M uitiba raeya ARTERIAL AND VEINOUS CLAMP AND CLAMP APPLICATOR Filed May 26, 1959 J. O. BEATY May 1, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3,032,039 ARTERIAL AND VEINOUS CLAMP AND CLAMP APPLICATOR Jack O. Beaty, 1980 Commonwealth Ave, Brighton, Mass. Filed May 26, 1959, Ser. No. 815,923 1 Claim. (Cl. 128326) This invention relates to clamps which may be applied to compressible tubes for the prevention of flow of liquid therethrough. The invention is also concerned with the provision of a hand operated tool whereby application of the clamps to the tube may be facilitated.

While the clamps of the present invention may be applied to any small flexible compressible tube to stop the flow of fluid past the position of the clamp, the invention thus far has found its greatest use in connection with the embalming of deceased humans, but use for the clamp and the applicator will also be found in connection with surgical procedures on living persons.

For purposes of illustration, the use of the clamp and applicator will be described in connection with embalming procedures, but it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to this particular use.

In the embalming of dead bodies, it is customary to open the body at certain well known locations in order to get at particular arteries and veins from which the blood may be drained and through which the embalming fluid may be most readily introduced into the circulatory system. The selected arteries and veins must be severed so that the blood can be drained ofi and the embalming fluid introduced. In order to prevent unwanted escape of fluids from the arteries and veins, both before and after the embalming process, it has been customary heretofore to apply ligatures to the severed ends. This, however, is a difiicult operation because of the limited space available for manual manipulation and it is also time consuming. It has therefore been proposed in the prior art to use mechanical clamps on the endsof the severed arteries and veins, but the known clamps have been of uncertain reliability and not altogether easy to apply.

The clamps of the present invention are small spring clips formed in such manner and of such material that they have suflicient inherent compressing strength to efiectively close an artery or vein when positioned between the compressing portions of the clamp. In addition, the clamp or clip is so formed that it may be readily attached to the jaws of an applying tool or applicator with assurance that the clip will remain on the jaws while the jaws are opened to spread the clip arms to permit its being positioned on the artery or vein. After the clip has been allowed to grip the vein or artery by closing the jaws, the jaws of the applicator readily free themselves from the clamp so that the applicator may be withdrawn to have another clamp positioned thereon for application to another artery or vein.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a clamp made according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the clamp in open position prior to being located over an artery or vein.

FIG. 3 shows the clamp in operative posit-ion with an artery or vein secured between the gripping arms with flow of fluid prevented.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the applicator.

FIG. 5 is an elevational View of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the clamp in position on the applicator jaws with the clamp arms spread and the artery or vein in position therebetween.

States atent ice FIG. 7 shows the clamp in applied position prior to removal of the applicator jaws therefrom.

FIG. 8 illustrates a convenient method of mounting a supply of clamps whereby the clamp may be readily picked up by the applicator.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that the clamp comprises a strip of metal 2 which has been doubled upon itself as at 4 to form a pair of arms 6 and 8. The metal is so bent that when the arms are in the position of FIG. 1 they are pressing against each other as at 10 with a substantial clamping force. In order to avoid fracturing the metal at the line of bending, the arms have not been brought completely together so that there remains a small tapered space 12. This space is shown in the drawings to an exaggerated degree for purposes of illustration. The point is that the clamp when bent as shown in FIG. 1 has not had its plastic limit exceeded at the fold line 4 so that the arms 6 and 8 may thereafter be sprung apart as shown in FIG. 2 without destroying or minimizing the spring clamping action of the arms 6 and 8.

The arm 6 has connected thereto a reversely turned tip 14 while the arm 8 has a simila reversely turned tip 16. The angles between tips 14 and 16 and their respective arms 6 and S are the same and the slope is such that the tips will be frictionally secure on the actuator jaws as will be explained hereinafter.

At the folded edge 4 of the arms is a longitudinal slot 18 which extends for a limited distance through both the arms 6 and 8 to the position indicated at 20. The purpose of this slot is to permit cooperation with a locating rod that is part of the applicator.

FIG. 3 shows the operative position of the clamp when it has been placed in position on and is compressing an artery or vein 22. In the ordinary embalming procedure the clamps when applied are not thereafter removed.

The clamps 2 prior to use may be conveniently mounted on a disk 24 as shown in FIG. 8. In this position the jaws of the applicator may readily be applied to a clamp and then by spreading the jaws slightly the clamp may be removed from the disk for use.

The applicator will now be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the applicator is a plier-like device consisting of a pair of handles 26 and 28 pivoted at 30 and terminating in jaws 32 and 34. To facilitate application of the clamp, the jaws are set at an angle with respect to the handles, as seen in FIG. 4. The jaws 32 and 34 taper to blunt ends 36 and 38, these ends being of such configuration that the end 36 fits readily between tip 14 and arm 6 of the clamp and the end 38 fits correspondingly between the tip 16 and the arm 8. The inner portions of the two jaws when closed as at 40 and 42 are spaced so that when the ends 36 and 38 are in position within tips 14 and 16 there will be room for the folded end 4 of the clamp to reside between the jaws without crushing.

As can be better seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the rear inner ends of the jaws terminate in semi-circular areas 44 and 46. Across this space extends a locating rod 48 positioned intermediate the sides of the jaws. The rod 48 is screwed into or otherwise secured in the lower jaw as at 50 and the upper end thereof passes through an opening 52 in the upper jaw which leads into a counterbored area 54 in which area resides a head 56 on the upper end of rod 48. When the jaws are closed as shown in FIG. 7, the head 56 is near the top of opening 54. As the jaws are opened as shown in FIG. 6, the head finally comes into engagement with the bottom side edges of opening 54 and thereby acts to limit the extent of the opening of the jaws 32 and 34.

The arrangement just described serves two purposes. First, after the clamp has been initially positioned on the ends of the jaws as shown in FIG. 7 (it being understood that at this time it has not as yet been positioned on an artery or vein 22), the locating rod 48 limits the angle through which the jaws 32 and 34 and the arms 6 and 8 can be opened. This limiting angle will be within the elastic limit of the metal at the folded end 4 so that when the clamp is thereafter placed on an artery or vein 22 and released to assume the position shown in FIG. 7, the spring action of the clamp will be unimpaired.

A second purpose served by locating rod 48 is to act as means for preventing the clamp from shifting its position laterally with respect to the jaws. This is of considerable importance because if the clamp should twist sideways with respect to the jaws it could more easily drop off the jaws and perhaps inadvertently drop into the body cavity before being applied to the artery or vein. Further, if

the clamp should be out of alignment with the jaws, it

would make it more difficult to apply the clamp correctly. Therefore the locating rod 48 cooperates with the slot 18 to prevent lateral shifting of the folded end of the clamp. As can, be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the locating rod is so positioned with respect to the jaws that the clamp when positioned on the jaws will have the rod 48 well within the slot 18 but far enough from the slot end 20 so as not to dislodge the clamp when the jaws are opened.

In applying the clamp, the following procedure is followed: The operator separates the jaws 32 and 34 sulficiently to straddle one of the clamps 2 mounted on disk 24. The jaw ends 36 and 38 are positioned in the V shaped pockets between tips 14 and 16 and their respective arms 6 and 8. The jaws 32 and 34 are then separated by operation of the handles 26 and 28 to bring the clamp to the opened position shown in FIG. 6. The clamp is then positioned on an artery or vein, after which the opening force of the handles 26 and 28 is relaxed so that the clamp under its own spring tension and as permitted by the closing of jaws 32 and 34 assumes the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, compressing theartery or vein in a manner that effectively prevents any passage of fluid beyond the clamped position. If the artery or vein had previously been severed, the clamp will effectively stop the flow of fluid therethrough. In some cases it may be considered desirable to apply two clamps in adjacent positions on an artery or vein, after which the artery or vein may be severed at a position betweenthe clamps. In this way escape of fluid at both ends of the severed artery or vein is effectively prevented.

It is my intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

In combination, a spring clamp and an applicator, said clamp made of a strip of metal of uniform width folded at its middle to form a pair of closely positioned parallel imperforate arms, the free end of each said arm doubled back at an acute angle to provide two oppositely disposed tips which together with the adjacent parts of the arms form sockets into which the ends of applicator jaws are placed, said clamp having a centrally located slot through the folded closed end thereof, said applicator comprising a pair of pivoted members having handles at one end and tapered clamp engaging jaws at the other end, said handles being bent laterally close to and on the handle side of said pivot whereby the jaws extend straightaway from said pivot and at an angle to the hand engaging parts of said handles, the inner faces of said jaws being fiat and When closed to the limit of their movement being spaced at the ends so that the tapered ends of the jaws fit into the sockets of the unopened clamp, the inner faces of said jaws when closed diverging slightly in the direction of said pivot so as to clear the closed folded end of said clamp, means for limiting the extent of the opening of said jaws and for maintaining the closed folded end of said clamp against lateral displacement while the free ends are being held by said jaws, said means comprising a rod extending between and at a distance from the ends of the said jaws, the said rod positioned in said slot at the closed folded end. of said clamp, said rod having means thereon to limit the extent of the jaw opening to an angle at which the elastic limit of the clamp will not be exceeded and the tips of said clamps will not slide 01f the tapered ends of the jaws.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 600,887 Pettit Mar. 22, 1898 776,549 Redington Dec. 6, 1904 1,139,627 Baltzley May 18, 1915 1,557,370 Lane Oct. 13, 1925 2,558,225 Solomon June 26, 1951 2,598,901 Garland June 3, 1952 

